Method and apparatus for soldering surface-mountable components to a printed circuit board
AssigneeSiemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsMatthias Schweizer, Horst Derleth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for soldering surface-mountable components to a printed circuit board includes a soldering head have a suction pipette located in the center of a thermode with a rectangularly arranged set of soldering stirrups. The thermode and suction pipette are individually vertically moveable relative to one another for precise positioning of a surface-mountable component at a predetermined position on a printed circuit board. Soldering at a predetermined solder location with positional correctness is accomplished in a single work cycle.
Claims2
A method for a soldering surface-mountable component having outer leads onto solder locations of a printed circuit board, comprising the steps of:
- lowering a combination thermode and suction pipette to a known position over the component as the component is on a bending sink;
- applying a suction to the suction pipette to temporarily affix the component to the suction pipette;
- optically checking a position of the outer leads of the component relative to the thermode and suction pipette;
- positioning the component while affixed on the suction pipette at a mounting location the printed circuit board;
- optically checking a position of the outer leads of the component relative to the solder locations on the printed circuit board;
- lowering the thermode until the outer leads of the component are positioned on the soldering locations of the printed circuit board;
- discontinuing the suction to the suction pipette;
- displacing the suction pipette a short distance above the component surface;
- blowing nitrogen through the suction pipette onto the soldering locations and simultaneously applying soldering current to the thermode;
- returning the thermode and suction pipette to a final position.
An apparatus for soldering surface-mountable components onto a printed circuit board, comprising:
- a first linear unit having a first worm drive shaft for movement in a vertical direction;
- a first stepping motor coupled to said first worm drive shaft;
- a column having a first end connected to said first linear unit and a compression spring at an opposite end;
- a thermode mounted at said opposite end of said column via said compression spring;
- soldering stirrups arranged in a rectangle on said thermode, said soldering stirrups being individually temperature controlled;
- a second linear unit having a second worm drive shaft for vertical movement;
- a second stepping motor coupled to said second worm drive shaft for vertically moving said second linear unit;
- a suction pipette affixed to said second linear unit and means for applying a suction to said suction pipette, said suction pipette being arranged within said soldering stirrups of said thermode, and
- a horizontally moveable optical system arranged laterally of said thermode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.